I bought a Taylor scale with bf readout and also the myo tape/fat track calipers. The scale was the second scale I purchased since the first was giving different weights everytime I stepped on it. The taylor seems very accurate in regards to weight, but the body fat reaidng is at about 25%.

It has been 25% since I started eating better at the start off January. During that time I have lost about 8 pounds. I was about 190lbs and am now down to 182ish. I don't have a lot of fat on me to begin with and the only place I would call fat at all is the stomach and that isn't really that bad either? 25% seems quite high, and I don't imagine I'm burning only muscle off.

Now when I do the calipers I get around 11% pretty consistently. Should I just average the two together are is one more valid than the other? I'm taking in about 2000 calories/day with no activity except lots of walking around at work all day, and I'm 5'11".

Are disparities in bf5 common between those to devices? Especially that large of a difference? Or am I to fit for the scale to get a good readout? I would have thought that by now the number would have at least gone down a few points?


One pic is totally relazed the other is sucking my belly in/flexing abs...
http://www.mistertees.net/fitness/side.jpg http://www.mistertees.net/fitness/side2.jpg
http://www.mistertees.net/fitness/front.jpg
http://www.mistertees.net/fitness/front2.jpg

Can you post a pic? That's a huge difference. Are you flabby?

I bought a Taylor scale with bf readout and also the myo tape/fat track calipers. The scale was the second scale I purchased since the first was giving different weights everytime I stepped on it. The taylor seems very accurate in regards to weight, but the body fat reaidng is at about 25%.

It has been 25% since I started eating better at the start off January. During that time I have lost about 8 pounds. I was about 190lbs and am now down to 182ish. I don't have a lot of fat on me to begin with and the only place I would call fat at all is the stomach and that isn't really that bad either? 25% seems quite high, and I don't imagine I'm burning only muscle off.

Now when I do the calipers I get around 11% pretty consistently. Should I just average the two together are is one more valid than the other? I'm taking in about 2000 calories/day with no activity except lots of walking around at work all day, and I'm 5'11".

Are disparities in bf5 common between those to devices? Especially that large of a difference? Or am I to fit for the scale to get a good readout? I would have thought that by now the number would have at least gone down a few points?

those scales are bogus (IMO).. we have one at home and it's never even close (Bluestreak will have to tell you what brand because I can't remember), the calipers are MUCH more accurate.. I'd go with that number if I were you. Post a picture, some of the people on this board are really good at guess bf% ;-)

I got a tanita scale, and for me it also seems to be WAAAAY high. both my calipers and mybodycomp.com show me under 10%, but the scale consistently puts me at 20%.

I just ignore that and use it as a scale (where it is very good.)

A buddy of mine that is in pretty good shape came over one day and tried out my bodyfat scales. He's been measured with calipers for the sports he is involved in... and is around 16-17% BF. Now the scale put him at 22%. Huge discrepency. I use accumeasure calipers and usually get a reading in the 24% range - and the scale puts me at 29%. So I'd say the scale is wrong in your case too. They really aren't accurate.

are you wetting your feet before stepping on the scale?

Mybodycomp shows me at 27%
Tanita in normal mode shows me at 22%
Tanita in athlete mode shows me at 13%
Calipers show me at 11%

Looking at myself, and making a basic guess is the calipers are correct. The rest are fairly useless.

a) post a pic! if you average all our guesses together - it'll be pretty accurate!

b) athlete mode? it sounds like its just calculating your BMI based on height/weight and determining your %. wouldnt THAT be somfin



Mybodycomp shows me at 27%
Tanita in normal mode shows me at 22%
Tanita in athlete mode shows me at 13%
Calipers show me at 11%

Looking at myself, and making a basic guess is the calipers are correct. The rest are fairly useless.

Tanita - non athlete shows me at 21% (not even close)
Omron - athlete mode FEMALE 18-19% (better) MALE 16.5%
mybodycomp - 17.5%.
calipers (mine, not experienced) - around 16%

On a good day before eating I have a pretty decent set of abs, so I'm pretty sure the 21% isn't right. I don't think the tanita without the athlete mode is very useful as I do have a RHR of well under 60 and exercise enough to qualify. :) My guess is 17-18%, but the Omron is good to see trends and that's all that matters.

I'll post a picture AFTER this cutting session is over... I have the unfortunately body type where every last ounce of fat is on my stomach to my thighs. Even with only 11-12%bf I am visably fat, and a picture would probably cause someone to scream out "But you are 17+%". Drives me nuts but hey, whatcha gonna do.

As for the athlete mode, basically Tanita claims that athletes store different amounts of water in their muscles/fat than normal people. This throws off the readings for anyone who is not considered normal and raises what it shows as your body fat. It's hard to say what exactly consitutes an athlete in tanita's documents but considering what most americans think of as "active" or athletic, I can safely say 99% of the people on here are athletes. Above a certain point I think the fat readings change the other direction and will overpredict, say around 18-22%. So above that, you are normal. Around there... who knows, and below you are an athlete.

I think everyone knows that the home bodyfat scales are not accurate in absolute terms. But if you standardize your measuring procedure, e.g. every morning at the same time after your morning washroom break, before eating, then you should be able to use it as a gauge of whether your body fat is increasing or decreasing (and use more time consuming methods once in a while). Unless you need to know what your true body fat is for health reasons, then the absolute value is irrelevant; the trend (up or down) is more important. You can tell in the mirror and photographs if you're at your goal or not - I don't think it's important to know whether your absolute body fat is exactly 13.95% or 9.21%.

I think everyone knows that the home bodyfat scales are not accurate in absolute terms. But if you standardize your measuring procedure, e.g. every morning at the same time after your morning washroom break, before eating, then you should be able to use it as a gauge of whether your body fat is increasing or decreasing (and use more time consuming methods once in a while). Unless you need to know what your true body fat is for health reasons, then the absolute value is irrelevant; the trend (up or down) is more important. You can tell in the mirror and photographs if you're at your goal or not - I don't think it's important to know whether your absolute body fat is exactly 13.95% or 9.21%.


That's more or less all I'm trying to do. I know I'm very lean to begin with, I just want the stomach fat to go away, and not seeing the 25% reading from the scale move up or down in a month has me thinking.

That's more or less all I'm trying to do. I know I'm very lean to begin with, I just want the stomach fat to go away, and not seeing the 25% reading from the scale move up or down in a month has me thinking.

Have you been keeping a photo log? Maybe you should take a look at the photos over the same time period as your body fat measurements to see if anything looks different.

Have you been keeping a photo log? Maybe you should take a look at the photos over the same time period as your body fat measurements to see if anything looks different.


I dont think you are using the caliper correct. I dont think you are 11% judging by those pics. ~20% is probably more accurate. I used to get 12% with my calipers, then I realized I really wasnt gripping enough skin (FAT), and im prob closer to 20% as well. Are your fingers roughly 3 inches apart when you grab the skin fold? and are you using a 3 site measurement?

I see some people disagree that a bodyfat scale is not that good. Well i have to agree to one point. Let me explain why this is so.

Scales comes mostly in two big brands Tanita and Omron.

Tanita might be a good weighing scale, but have you seen how they meassure the bodyfat? It sends a small current through one leg and do the reading throught the other one (2-point meassurements), as the current will only flow from one leg up through the your midline and down again, it cannot meassure the body fat in the whole body.

Omron on the other hand have another approach wheree your hold a device in your hand, where it sends the current through one arm, through your shoulder area and out the other one (again 2-point meassurement). This is not really mcuh more accurate then the way Tanita does it.

However, Omron has a second approch, which uses a 4-point meassurements, what this means is that you stand on the scale, you grab the handheld device (which is connected to the scale), sends the current through the whole body and do a readout, very much like the way they meassure bodyfat at some health-places (where they attach an electrode at your upperbody and one at your legs).

Note: I havent read all the technical papers from Omron about their 4-point meassurements device. It might be that theyfirst do a readout through the legs, and then a second readout through your arms and then combine those two. But most likely the current is sent through the whole body. If im wrong in my conclusion please do not chop off my head, just let me know and correct me :tu:

Another note, The Omron 4-point meassurements is quite expensive here in Singapore, about SG$197 compared to a hand-device which range from S$99-150.

My suggestion would be to do a reading with your caliper when you know you have mastered it write it down, then do a reading with a body fat scale. Finally go to a professional center or a University and get them to get you bf%, by doing this you can then "calibrate" your scale or refine the way you use your caliper.

Note2: I have seen some reviews online for a Tanita, where the user went to a University to calibrate his scale and found that it was fairly accurate (maybe off by 2% or so). But for me i would chose Omron 4-point meassurements, even its more expensive. But pricewise it cant compete with a caliper.

Frankie
Singapore